Lilies
by TheRealLoisLane
Summary: Lois and Clark's relationship begins to change after he realizes how difficult some things in her life have been. Strictly a Lois POV story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is strictly a Lois POV story.**

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC Comics, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story and my dignity.

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**Chapter 1

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She sat in front of the couch on the cold wooden floor in her yellow and white rubber ducky faded flannel pajamas. Her legs were crossed with a red fleece blanket draped over her lap, sorting through pictures in a box long forgotten. Her long dirty blonde hair cascaded past her shoulders, wet from her shower.

It was night, it was raining, and it was cold.

She'd managed to build a fire in the fireplace, but the small apartment above the old movie theater still had a draft. How Lana had stayed there and not frozen to death, she'd never understand.

But she wouldn't complain. Out loud anyway. She was out of the Kent's way. Oh sure, Mrs. Kent had said that she was welcome in their home anytime, but she would never impose. Even though they were the family she'd always wished for.

She raked through the dusty old photo box. Pictures, memories, and faces she barely knew, yet were so familiar. She dreamt about those faces. But with each passing year, those faces gradually became a bit more blurry. That was why she did this.

She gingerly picked up each photo one by one, examining it closely, trying to mentally return to the scene before her.

Her hands stopped when she accidentally caught a glimpse of the young blonde woman smiling at the camera. She was sitting on a large rock, mountains in the background, overlooking a vast valley. She was holding a bouquet of lilies. She obviously didn't want her picture taken, judging by her smirk and the slight tilt of her head to one side. Yet, there was something warm and inviting about the woman. Her striking hazel eyes and delicate features gave that away.

The photo began to shake as she silently sobbed. Her mother used to say she would've made a terrific actress because, not only could she cry on cue, but she could cry without making any noise. No sound. Only tears running down her cheeks.

"Lois?"

She knew that voice. It was always there when she didn't want it, yet always there when she needed it.

Thank goodness her back was to the door so he couldn't immediately see her face. If he had, he would've left after being hit with her death rays.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Smallville, you have _got_ to start knocking. That's what the door is there for."

She didn't need this right now. She was only allowed to be weak when she was alone. She quickly wiped the tears streaming down her face, hoping there was no trace of wet or redness.

"I'm sorry, Lois, I just came by to bring you some food. Mom felt bad when you said you couldn't make it over to dinner tonight. She made meatloaf and we had extra. She insisted I bring the leftovers to you."

Why did he have to be so nice? Why now? She didn't need him to be nice now. She needed him to leave. She wanted to cry and that wasn't going to happen with him there.

"Thanks. You can just put it in the fridge."

"Aren't you hungry?"

"No."

A very short response. Maybe that would send him a message.

"Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?"

There he goes again. Can't he take a hint? She sighed, rolled her eyes, and leaned back against the sofa as he walked slowly to her.

"Not really. I just wanna be alone right now. I'm fine."

He plopped the bag of food on her countertop and shot her a look that had yeah right written all over it. And she knew it without even glancing up at him. He slowly walked over to where she was sitting on the floor. She kept her head down, focusing on mindlessly sorting the pictures.

"Really, Smallville. I'm okay. Tell your mom thanks for the meatloaf. I'm sure it's delicious."

She tried not to look at him. She tried to keep her face down. She hoped that he wouldn't see. But he did. He saw her face and she'd been crying. Lois Lane didn't cry. He'd never seen her cry. Lana was the crier, not Lois.

But he caught her off guard. All because he couldn't knock on a door.

That settled it then. She was installing a deadbolt and safety lock first thing in the morning.

He sat on the edge of the couch. Great, now he was staying. He really couldn't take a hint.

"What're you doing, Lois?"

He sincerely sounded concerned. She really didn't feel like arguing. Maybe if she played along for a few minutes, he would leave.

"Just organizing some things." She still held the picture in her hand, the light from the fire dancing across the woman's face.

"That's your mom, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

It came out softer than she meant. Even though she had said before that she could talk about her, there were certain times, like now, when she had trouble.

"She's beautiful."

"Yes, she was."

"You look like her."

A smile slowly formed at the corners of her mouth. Had Smallville just called her beautiful? Wait, no no. She wouldn't read into that. Not right now anyway. But she put a pin in it in the back of her mind.

"Thanks."

She gently placed the small tattered photo back in the box and reached for the other piles of pictures she had gone through that lay scattered around her.

"Lois, are you sure you're okay?"

He wasn't gonna budge on this, was he?

She turned to look at him. Her eyes met his and she now saw the concern. She quickly darted her eyes and went back to picking up the pictures.

He reached into the box and picked up the photo she had been looking at when he walked in.

"Where was this taken? It looks gorgeous."

"Germany. In Heidelberg overlooking the Rhine Valley. That was about a year before I was born. My dad was stationed at the base there."

"So they were already married?"

"Yeah. It was their anniversary and everything had to be perfect. They went up to the castle above the city for a tour and had a picnic afterwards. When Daddy would tell that story, he would complain saying he had to look in every florist shop in town to find those lilies. They were Mom's favorite." She paused and smiled. "I remember her telling me when I was little that he said he would've moved mountains to find those flowers that day."

She knew she could trust him. But it wasn't about trust. It was about…sharing. And there were some parts of her life that she just wasn't ready to share with him, or anyone, for that matter. Not yet, anyway.

But today had been hard on her. Maybe that's why she was opening up. She couldn't think of another reason why she told Clark Kent a story about her parents that even Chloe didn't know.

But today was different. She knew this day was coming. It comes every year. And every year she does the same thing. She sits alone and looks at the pictures. This was her time and no one else's. But he was here. And part of her was glad. But only a small part.

He moved and sat on the floor beside her, leaning back against the sofa, still holding the picture.

"She died thirteen years ago today."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Again, characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story. Critiques/feedback are encouraged!

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**Chapter 2

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And cue the uncomfortable silence.

She didn't mean to tell him. It just came out. She closed her eyes and mentally kicked herself for it.

"I'm sorry."

Of course he was.

He was always sorry for something. It was really just a polite thing to say, a blank statement with no real sentiment.

"And I know I wasn't the one that got her hooked on cigarettes behind the gym during high school." She laughed. He remembered. "But I'm sorry you have to go through this. I can't imagine what it's like to lose a parent, especially when you're only six years old."

She couldn't believe he remembered.

"Yeah, well, you gotta play the hand life gives you. If it was up to me, I would've grown up with two parents in a loving home. Instead, my mom died, my sister was sent away to boarding school, and I was left with my father who dragged me all over the world like a spare piece of luggage."

There's that familiar wall inching its way up.

"What do you remember about her?"

She smiled at his innocence.

"Well, you've met my father, right?"

He hesitated at the mention of the General.

"Yeah."

"Well, she was the complete opposite of him."

He laughed. Somehow he knew that was probably the case.

"She was always the peacekeeper. She kept Lucy and me in line. And she could calm down the General by simply placing her hand on his shoulder, looking him square in the eye and saying, 'You're never dealt more than you can handle. And if you can't handle it, then that's what I'm here for.' She'd always say it with a wink and a smile." She paused and stared into the fire. "I miss her."

She could feel a tear forming in the corner of her eye. She hoped it wouldn't fall. Not now. Not with him sitting so close. Why was she willingly opening up to him? This wasn't right. Yet, why did it _feel_ right?

She'd already shared something she'd only told one other person. And she felt much more comfortable crying in front of Chloe than she would ever feel in Smallville's presence.

She closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. Weak. That's what she was.

If the General were here, he'd tell her to 'Stop that crying right now, Lo. Just suck it up. I don't want to hear it anymore. You don't want to look weak in front of Lucy, now, do you?' She could hear his gruff voice reverberating through her head.

She hated hearing that. She hated having to always be the strong one. But she did it anyway, for Lucy.

Clark sat there staring at her with a half smile that said he wanted to comfort her, but wasn't sure how. She couldn't blame him, when even she didn't know what she needed to be comforted.

She hated uncomfortable silences, and this was beginning to be unbearable. She was going to break down in front of him if she kept her current thought process.

"Lois…"

She took a deep breath. Thank goodness.

"I don't know what to say. But, I'm here for you. And I know we sometimes don't get along. But, just remember…," he said smiling and leaning over towards her, with his voice softer now, "we are friends now."

She smiled. There he goes again. How did he do it? How could he get her to smile on today of all days, when she wanted to do anything but smile?

"You haven't told anyone about that, have you? Because if you did, I'd have to hurt you, and not in the good way."

Now it was his turn to smile. That beaming Kent smile. It apparently goes along with that "famous Kent charm" Chloe's always talking about. Of course, Lois saw it. What girl wouldn't? She just didn't indulge herself in it like certain other girls. She was stronger than that.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good."

She didn't want him there, but, for some unknown reason, she was glad he was sitting in her apartment on a cold and rainy night, making small talk. It's amazing how that small talk can have so many connotations.

He laid the picture of her mother he'd been holding back in the box and pushed himself up off the floor.

Was he leaving already?

"Well, I guess I'd better be going."

"No, wait!"

She hesitated. She wasn't too sure why she just said that. But all she knew is that she didn't want him to go now. She didn't want him to stay, but the thought of him leaving just didn't feel right, at least not then.

"Look, could you just stay for a little while?"

"I thought you said you wanted to be alone?"

"I did." Crap. She did. "But, that was then. This is now. And now I want you to stay." She had to say something. "I mean, it's cold, it's raining and it's late. I'd hate for you to drive all the way back out to the farm. The roads are probably slick and who knows what kind of crazies are out. Why don't you stay here tonight?"

"Stay…here?"

His voice cracked as if he'd hit puberty all over again. This apartment brought up too many memories. And the vast majority of those memories involved Lana.

And some of those memories, the more recent ones, involved various articles of clothing strewn across the floor and lots of nakedness.

"Yeah, here. Look," she said, pointing over her shoulder to the big overgrown piece of furniture she was leaning against, "I have a couch. You can sleep there."

He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Lois, I don't know."

She sighed, put the pictures in the box, and quickly stood, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, you're not leaving. I'm not going to be responsible for you careening off the road at 11 o'clock at night. Or worse, you could hit something."

He grinned.

"Like a dog?"

She smirked.

"Cute, Smallville. I just don't want to have to explain an accident to your parents."

She wasn't going to budge now. He'd come in and interrupted her evening of crying. Now she was gonna have to wait another 365 days before she could do it again.

"Okay. I'll stay. But, on one condition."

She eyed him cautiously. "And what's that?"

"You have to eat. My mom packed you a whole meal and I don't want to have to explain to my parents why you didn't eat her food."

"Fine. But you're going to warm it up."

And there was that Kent smile. "Sure." She turned to walk away. "Hey, Lois?" She stopped and faced him. "You wanna watch a movie or something? I mean, I know it's late, but if you didn't want to go to sleep right away, I figured we could do something."

"Yeah, a movie sounds great. I've got a ton of DVDs over there on those shelves. Go pick something out. And while you're doing that _and_ warming up my dinner, I'm gonna go dry my hair."

She turned and headed towards the bathroom. Clark watched her leave the room and smiled. He was surprised at how much she shared with him that evening, but thankful nonetheless. He knew those opportunities didn't come often.

She shut the bathroom door and reached in the cabinet for the hairdryer. She plugged it in, turned it on and, running her fingers through her wet hair, got lost in her thoughts thanks to the din of the appliance.

She was surprised at how much she shared with him that evening, but she was glad and, in a way, relieved. She felt comfortable talking to him. It was…nice.

And he made her smile. She hated that. She never smiled on this day. No, on this day, she cried. But he made her smile. And she loved it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story.

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**Chapter 3

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Where is that blinding light coming from?

She squinted her eyes in the bright sunlight and turned her head to look at the clock on her makeshift cardboard box nightstand. 2:18 in big red digital numbers. The sun was out. It was morning. Er…make that afternoon. She didn't want to, but she knew she had to get up.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and willed herself to sit up. She took a deep breath and stood, slipping her feet into her warm and familiar white bunny slippers.

Trudging into the kitchen, she looked around at the mess from the night before. Mrs. Kent's dishes of food, scraped clean, were still sitting out next to the sink, along with dirty plates. Two, in fact. Clark decided he was hungry, too when she got out of the bathroom, so he helped himself to the extra portions of his mom's meatloaf. Good thing she always cooked for ten.

She looked over to the couch. The red fleece blanket was neatly folded with the blue pillow on top of it at one end of the couch.

"Clark?"

She just wanted to make sure.

She glanced at the bathroom door. Still open. Not in there.

She looked on the kitchen counter. No note. Nothing.

"That boy has more disappearing acts than David Copperfield."

She walked back into the bedroom and grabbed her jeans laying on the floor at the end of the bed. She reached for her bra and long-sleeve t-shirt that were flung over the back of her desk chair and walked into the bathroom.

She didn't want to do it today. But something was pulling her there. She had to go say _something_. He had seen her at her weakest. She opened up. And it wasn't just opening up. No, this was spouting stories about things in her life that no one else knew. She just wanted to say _something_. What? She didn't know. She never really knew what she would say to people until they were right in front of her. She was always a "fly by the seat of her pants" kinda girl. But what she never _ever_ did was open up.

She dressed, brushed her hair and teeth and slipped on her boots. If she was going to do what she needed to do later, then she needed motivation. And she knew she could find it downstairs in the form of caffeine. She grabbed her keys and headed out the door.

She looked towards the counter as she bounded down the stairs. A part of her hoped he would be there. But just a small part.

Instead, she found the next best thing.

"Hey, Lois."

"Hi, Mrs. Kent."

She really liked her. She was the mom she always wanted. A small part of her secretly wished that she could've been adopted by the Kents.

"Lois, are you okay? You look tired."

The woman sounded sincere. She always sounded sincere. Lois loved that.

She walked to the stool in front of the counter and plunked herself down while Mrs. Kent sprinkled cinnamon on two grande mocha lattes. She placed them in the waiting couple's hands.

"Yeah, I am. I just had a long day yesterday. I could really use one of those," she said, pointing to the cup of java in the woman's hand standing next to her.

Mrs. Kent smiled and nodded, and went to fixing Lois' drink.

"Clark said he stayed over last night. I hope nothing was wrong."

Crap. He told her? What did he tell her?

"Yeah…no." She sighed. "I was just upset about something. And it was cold and absolutely pouring outside, and I just suggested that Clark should spend the night rather than risk driving all the way back out to the farm. He slept on the couch and I slept in my bed."

There. Hopefully, that would suffice.

Just the basics. Just stick to the basics. She'd already revealed everything to Clark, it seemed, and she wasn't going to let it happen again.

The older woman smiled.

"It's okay, Lois. He said he wanted to keep you company."

A confused grin crept its way onto Lois' face.

"Keep me company, huh?"

"That's what he said. Oh, by the way, I assume your dinner made it all the way here intact?"

"Yeah, and thank you, Mrs. Kent. It was delicious. I really appreciate you thinking of me."

And she really did. If it hadn't been for her, Lois would never eat as often as she did.

"You're welcome, Lois."

Mrs. Kent handed her the coffee. Lois smiled and hopped off the barstool. She turned to leave when she remembered the mess next to her sink upstairs.

"Oh, Mrs. Kent, I've still got your dishes upstairs. I'll just bring them by the farm later today, if that's alright."

"Sure, Lois. Hey, why don't you come over for dinner tonight?"

She shouldn't. She can't. She didn't want to. But…she did.

"Sure, Mrs. Kent. I'd love to."

She sighed. She really would love to have dinner with them. And that really _was_ it. She would love to have _dinner_ with them. It was just the conversation that would naturally crop up with it that she wanted to avoid like the plague. Especially now.

For some reason she didn't trust herself right now. Especially around Smallville. He had a weird way of getting her to open up, usually when she least expected it.

"What time should I be there?"

"I think we'll eat about six. Is that okay?"

"That's fine. I'll just bring your dishes back then."

They needed cleaning anyway. Something Flannel Boy could've done before he left this morning. But what did she expect? She never knew any guy that would voluntarily clean the dishes, let alone clean anything else.

"Okay, we'll see you tonight, then."

Lois smiled. She really did love this family. No one else ever welcomed her into their lives and put up with her the way they did. Sure, Chloe and her dad were there for her. But that was different. They _were_ family. And sometimes, just being family wasn't enough. Lucy was a prime example of that.

"Okay. And thanks for the cup of joe, Mrs. Kent. After yesterday, I need it."

Mrs. Kent smiled and Lois turned to head back up to her apartment. She climbed the stairs, opened the door and let it close softly behind her. She stood there, against the door, thinking how she would go about it later.

She had three hours until she had to be at the Kents. That was just enough time to shower, clean Mrs. Kent's dishes, and pick up the pictures that still lay scattered in front of the couch.

They ate Mrs. Kent's warmed-over meatloaf and veggies while they watched Rush Hour. She was grateful he hadn't picked one of her sappy romantic comedies or sad dramas to watch. She wouldn't have been able to handle that. Not last night, anyway.

But they laughed most of the way through the movie. She was in hysterics when Smallville decided to open up and admit that he wished he could move like Jackie Chan. The mental image of that was just too much. She was pretty sure he was serious, which made it even funnier, and made him mad at first. But when she couldn't stop laughing, he began to laugh, too.

After the outtakes and credits had rolled on the movie, Lois turned it off and went to grab a pillow off her bed for Clark. When she walked back in the room, he was sitting in the floor looking at the pictures. And that's when he wanted to know.

She couldn't believe he wanted to look through them with her. Even more surprising was the fact that she let him. But he wanted to know. He wanted to hear the stories behind each snapshot, and where each photo was taken and who the faces in each one belonged to. She couldn't believe he wanted to know.

And so, she told him.

They had both opened up last night. She, more so than he did, but still. The walls came a-tumbling down.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to WB, DC, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story.

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**Chapter 4

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She turned onto the dusty lane that took her straight up to the farm.

It was ten minutes til six. That wasn't too early that she would have to make too much conversation before dinner, but not too late that she was rude.

Yesterday still bothered her. It had been a weird day, as were most of her days in Smallville. But this was a different kind of weird. This was a good weird. She never imagined the anniversary of her mother's passing would be a day she would deem "good," but it was.

She pulled her car up to the bright yellow farmhouse. It was still daylight, but just barely. She turned off the engine and, grabbing Mrs. Kent's dishes from the passenger seat, stepped out of the car and walked towards the house.

She wasn't sure why she was dreading it. But there it was. That feeling. That pit-of-your-stomach feeling. But she had to do it.

She stopped halfway up the steps. Laughter and conversation rang out from the family inside. She'd never _really_ stopped to listen to it before, but somehow, focusing on the things she has over the past couple of days, she became more aware. Those were the sounds she never heard growing up and she missed them.

Mustering up the courage she so desperately needed, she walked to the door and knocked.

"Hey, Lois. Martha said you'd be joining us tonight."

Mr. Kent smiled and held the door open while Lois stepped inside the kitchen, then returned to reading his newspaper on the barstool at the island.

"Hi, Lois. Dinner's almost ready."

Mrs. Kent took the large pan of roast beef out of the oven and slipped a second pan of rolls back in.

"Thanks, Mrs. Kent. I'm returning your dishes, washed, of course. Where do you want me to put them?"

"You can just set them there on the counter. I'll put them away later."

Lois did as she was told and set the bowls on the countertop next to the fridge.

"Where's Clark?"

She didn't mean to ask. It just…came out. She'd later chalk it up to nerves.

Mrs. Kent smiled. Lois wasn't sure why. It was just an innocent question. Right?

"I think he's up in his loft studying. He said he needed to work on something anyway. I assumed he was talking about a project for class."

"Oh, okay."

Should she do it now? Or later? She usually worked better when she had some sustenance in her, and she hadn't eaten all day. Later was looking better.

"Okay, the first batch of rolls are warmed up. Lois, could you go get Clark and tell him dinner's ready, please?"

Great. That's okay. Just go get Smallville and tell him dinner's ready. Simple and easy. Not a problem.

"Sure thing, Mrs. Kent."

She walked out the door and down the porch steps. She strutted briskly and confidently towards the barn. She had a purpose. She was on a mission. She was going to tell Smallville dinner was ready.

She marched into the barn, arms swinging in stride with her step. She stopped abruptly at the bottom of the loft stairs.

Not now. She didn't want to see him right now. Seeing him might make her talk. Besides, Mrs. Kent just said to _tell_ him dinner was ready. Not _see_ him and tell him.

"Hey, Smallville, you up there?"

Not what she was going for, but it would do. The wall was up. She was ready. She wasn't letting her guard down. That happened too easily last night.

"Uh…Lois? Yeah, I'm up here."

He had to question if it was her? Who else called him "Smallville?"

She heard papers shuffling and he sounded uneasy. She ignored it and kept to the task at hand.

"Your mom wanted me to tell you dinner's ready."

"Okay, I'll be right in."

There. Her job was done. Mission completed. She turned and marched out of the barn and across the driveway just as quickly and confidently as she had strode in.

Her pace slowed once she climbed the steps and walked in the house. Better not be too confident. Don't want to tip off the Mr. and Mrs. That _would_ be cause for conversation.

"I told him, Mrs. Kent. He'll be right in."

Mrs. Kent finished putting the plates around the table and walked into the kitchen where Lois stood.

"Thanks, Lois. What would you like to drink? I've got some tea made."

She truly loved Mrs. Kent. She was the only person who ever asked what she wanted to drink. The General either didn't care or didn't think. Water was always his drink of choice, at least when it wasn't Vodka, and thus, it became her and Lucy's drink every meal, too. Tea, especially Mrs. Kent's, was a gift from heaven.

"Tea would be great. Thanks."

"Why don't you go ahead and have a seat at the table while I pour the drinks?"

Lois strolled to the dining table and took a seat in one of the chairs at the side. It was the same seat she always sat in when she was here. She liked having assigned seats, even if that wasn't what it was. Everyone had their place at the table and she loved it.

Mrs. Kent had already set the food on the table, so Lois helped herself and piled helpings of roast beef, potatoes, carrots and green beans on her plate.

She was nervous. She could feel the anxiety growing.

The screen door slammed. He was inside the house. She kept her back to him and sat still, keeping her eyes down, focusing on the juices from the carrots and beans pooling together. She didn't want to face him until it was absolutely necessary. Any sooner and she was terrified she'd say something in front of his parents.

Mrs. Kent picked up two glasses of tea, walked to the table and set one at her plate and the other in front of Lois.

"Hey, Clark, it's on the table, so go wash up."

He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Whew. Okay, Lane. Just relax. Remember? Just the basics. You can handle this. You've handled worse.

Mrs. Kent moved back into the kitchen, picked up the other two glasses of tea, nudged her husband out of his newspaper trance, and walked to the dining table. She put the glasses at Mr. Kent's and Clark's places, then sat as Mr. Kent joined them.

Lois heard him coming down the stairs. She concentrated on the carrots. Don't look up.

"Lois? I didn't know you were coming over tonight."

What? Did he miss her in the barn calling him to dinner? Did he not see her when he walked in the house? Did he have amnesia again?

He sat in the chair across from her. She knew he was going to sit there. What with there being "assigned seats" and all in this house.

She sighed and looked up from the carrots, staring straight at him.

"I invited her, Clark. I felt bad that Lois couldn't come over last night, so I thought she'd want a fresh home-cooked meal tonight."

Lois turned to face the older woman sitting next to her.

"And I appreciate it, Mrs. Kent. I can't thank you enough."

The two elder Kents smiled. Mr. Kent grabbed his wife's hand and looked at Lois.

"Lois, you are welcome in our home any time. And if you ever need a place to stay again, our door is always open."

Lois smiled. It was official. She loved them both.

She was waiting for it, though. _He_ hadn't said anything. Wait for it. Wait for it.

"As long as you give us advance warning so that we can get a hot shower, and I can make full use of my bedroom before you show up and use it as your own personal closet again."

And there it was. He just couldn't resist. After everything that transpired last night. What a chump. And he had to throw in that stupid grin, too.

"Clark!"

Mrs. Kent tried. But the goofy grin was still there. He had it aimed right at her.

Lois turned to Mr. Kent.

"Thanks, Mr. Kent."

She turned and made direct eye contact with the loon sitting across the table.

"And in case you've come down with amnesia again, let me remind you that I do have my own place now. You know, the place where I let _you_ sleep last night? And, by the way, it's flannel free."

She couldn't believe him. Oh, the walls were way up now.

And if he didn't wipe that smirk off his face she was gonna kick his a-

"Okay, kids. Let's just eat."

The boy better be grateful his pa was around. Next time, he might not be so lucky.

She stabbed a carrot and shoved it in her mouth, all the while giving him the evil eye.

"So, Lois, have you talked to Chloe lately? We don't see her around much anymore since she moved to Metropolis."

You could always count on Mrs. Kent for three things: a home-cooked meal, sage advice, and the ability to change subjects in a single bound.

She sighed, somewhat thankful for the change of topic, and looked at Mrs. Kent while she pierced some green beans with her fork.

"I tried calling her this afternoon, but she seemed pretty busy. She called me yesterday. I didn't talk to her too long, though. She knew I didn't want to talk to anyone yesterday."

Crap. Why? Why does she do these things? Why does she say the things she says? She knows this family. They're the ones that pick up on every little detail that's uttered. She made a mental note to start practicing conversations with people _before_ she has them.

"What happened yesterday? Do you want to talk about it?"

Sure, she would love some of Mrs. Kent's advice. She would love to sit and talk with her. But she already used her "spill your guts" card on a certain farmboy the previous night, and she was pretty sure she couldn't get another one for awhile.

"It's okay, Mrs. Kent. Don't worry 'bout it."

She didn't look at him. But he was watching her. And she knew it.

"You just had a rough day, yesterday, right, Lois? I mean, with working at the Talon and taking those extra classes, it's gotta get to you…right?"

What was with the one-eighty? Smallville could definitely surprise her sometimes. Last night proved that.

She loved their back and forth. After all, it's what kept their relationship interesting. It's also what separated their relationship from his now defunct lackluster one with Lana.

"Yeah, I've just got a lot on my mind right now."

Thank goodness. That seemed to appease the elder Kents and they both resumed eating and engaged in soft conversation between themselves.

She glanced at him. The ridiculous smirk was gone, and was replaced with a half-hearted smile. She gave a little grin and thanked him with her eyes. He returned the gesture and went back to sopping the juice on his plate with his roll.

She hated him sometimes. He could get to her like no one else. But no matter what trouble found her or how depressed she might be, he was always there. She loved him sometimes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story.

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**

**Chapter 5

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**

"Thanks for helping with the dishes, Lois. The boys never want to help with any of this."

"It's not a problem, Mrs. Kent. I don't mind."

And she didn't. She was thankful, after the awkwardness that was dinner, for the opportunity to gather her thoughts, which didn't go unnoticed by Mrs. Kent.

"Lois, are you sure everything's alright? You've been awfully quiet tonight."

Lois sighed and stopped drying the freshly washed plate. She leaned back against the countertop, holding the plate to her chest, and looked to the floor to find the right words.

Should she tell her? What's the harm? She just didn't want pity. She didn't want people making a fuss about it. After all, she'd dealt with it this long, and it became easier every year. Right?

Mrs. Kent took her hands out of the warm sudsy water and dried them on the nearby dishtowel. She placed a hand on Lois' arm.

"Lois, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But, in my experience, talking usually helps."

She was trying to help. And Lois appreciated it. She trusted Mrs. Kent. She would just give her the basic facts. No details. She wasn't ready to cry again.

She lifted her head up and took a deep breath.

"Yesterday…yesterday was the anniversary of the day my mom died."

"Oh, Lois. I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"It's okay. That's kinda part of the reason Clark stayed over last night. I wasn't exactly in the best mood when he showed up with your food, but by the end of the night he had somehow made me feel better." She paused as a puzzled grin crept across her face. "It was weird."

Mrs. Kent quietly laughed.

"Clark can do that to you if you're around him long enough."

Smallville? Ha! There was no way she was going to hang around that long to find out. She couldn't stand to spend that much time with him.

"Oh, no, Mrs. Kent. Not when he and I are together. I promise you will not find two people on the planet that are as different as night and day. We can't stand each other."

She hated to put the wall up around Mrs. Kent, but she could feel it rising.

Mrs. Kent smiled. Lois could tell what the woman was thinking, but hoped she would keep it to herself. Please don't say it out loud. That would make it real.

"Sometimes the best ones start out that way."

Oh, no. She did _not_ just say that.

Lois laughed.

"Please, Mrs. Kent." She sighed. "I don't think Clark and I will ever be more than what we are right now. And that's barely friends." She paused, leaned in to Mrs. Kent, who had resumed washing a plate, and smirked. "Besides, Clark couldn't handle me."

Mrs. Kent smiled. If Lois only knew.

"Lois, I think you'd be amazed at the way life can turn out." She turned and looked at Lois, who took the clean wet plate from her hand. "And don't underestimate Clark. Trust me. He can definitely surprise you when you least expect it."

Lois sighed. She knew that to be true. She was more than surprised last night when he was going through her photos.

She honestly didn't think he cared. But, for some reason, he did.

Lois finished drying the last plate and put it in the cabinet with the others. Mrs. Kent dried her hands on the old dishrag and hung it on the back of the barstool to dry.

Now she had no choice. Dinner was over. Mrs. Kent's famous apple pie a la mode had been served. The dishes were clean. There was nothing left.

She had to say something to him about last night. She couldn't just let it go. He knew too much.

She didn't know why he wanted to know. She wasn't sure why he cared. And that bothered her. No one else in the last thirteen years had ever wanted to know. But he did.

She walked to the living room and grabbed her coat she'd earlier flung over the recliner and swiped her keys off the coffee table. She turned and headed back into the kitchen, pulling her coat on as she walked.

"Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Kent. It was delicious."

Mrs. Kent set her coffee cup on the countertop. She walked over to Lois standing by the door and pulled the young woman into a hug.

"You're welcome, Lois. There's always a home-cooked meal here for you whenever you like."

Lois smiled a heart-felt smile. Why was this family so nice to her? She knew she didn't deserve it.

"Thanks."

She pulled away from Mrs. Kent. She had to go now while she still had some strands of courage dangling. She had to talk to him.

She started to walk out the door, but stopped and turned back to Mrs. Kent.

"Do you know if Clark went up to his loft? I just needed to tell him something before I leave."

"Yeah, I think he was going up there. That's where he usually winds up after dinner."

"Okay, thanks. I'll see ya later."

"Okay. Bye. And be careful driving back tonight."

Lois smiled. That was something else that separated the Kents from anyone else she knew. They always told her to be careful. She cherished the fact that they even bothered to care.

Lois walked out the door and slowly sauntered down the porch steps, stuffing her hands in her coat's pockets.

She wanted to talk to him, but she didn't. But she had to explain it. She had to explain herself. She felt like an idiot. But her gut was telling her to do it and Lois Lane rarely ignored her gut.

She walked across the driveway, gravel crunching under her feet the whole way towards the barn.

Mrs. Kent watched the young woman from the kitchen window. She saw her hesitate at the barn's entrance for a few seconds before finally stepping in. The older woman smiled as she turned and left the kitchen to walk up the stairs.

Okay, Lane. One foot in front of the other. Just like walking the white line. Remember that? You've done it enough.

She stopped at the base of the old wooden stairs that led to his shack of seclusion. She breathed in the cold barn air. She wouldn't shout this time. Oh, no. This time, the element of surprise was in _her_ favor.

She took a deep breath and quietly climbed the stairs. He didn't see her. He sat at his desk with his back to her, pouring over a textbook.

"See, this is why you need a door. So people can knock. _That_ way they can't sneak in when you least expect it."

He knew that voice. It was always there when he didn't want it, yet always there when he needed it.

"Lois. I thought you would've left by now."

He turned in his chair and grinned the Kent grin. He actually heard her when she stopped at the barn door and debated on entering, but she didn't need to know. He also heard when her heartbeat increased dramatically as she entered the barn door. But she didn't need to know that either.

"Well, I might have, but I had to help your mother clean the dishes. She said something about you helping with that, but apparently dishwashing is an art that's lost on you. I figured if you knew how, you would've cleaned the dirty dishes you left at my place this morning."

He laughed and shook his head.

"Well, I wanted to get away because I know the only time I can get rid of you is when you're asleep."

She smirked. He had some comebacks. She had to admit he could give as good as he got.

"Yeah, about that. Thanks for waking me up this morning, Smallville. Or leaving a note or _something_ to tell me you'd left." She crossed her arms and cocked her hips to one side. "Because, you know, that would've been the _considerate_ thing to do."

She couldn't wait to hear his excuse. He always had one. Even Chloe admitted that.

He dropped the beaming Kent smile and looked at the old wooden boards that made up the loft floor.

"Lois, I'm sorry. I had a class this morning. Plus, I had chores to do here. And I had to call Chloe about something." He looked up at her. "I tried to be quiet because I didn't _want_ to wake you. I knew yesterday must've been rough for you. I thought you needed to sleep."

Needed to sleep? Wow. He really did care. Well, he had to care a little. After all, he did stay last night and talked until three in the morning. And she was glad.

It was the first time in those thirteen years that she hadn't cried herself to sleep on the anniversary. Why? Maybe he just distracted her. But he actually wanted to know things about her family. No one else ever thought to ask the questions he did. Not even Chloe, the intrepid investigative reporter. And she was family. Lucy didn't even ask.

She smiled halfheartedly and looked away from him.

"Yeah, well. Yesterday _was_ rough. As much as I never want to remember that day, it always shows up once a year."

He studied her and gave her a weak smile as she took a few steps closer to him.

She was about to say what she came there to say. About to look him in the eye. But she turned.

She strolled over to the massive window, stood next to his telescope and looked out into the immense and clear night sky.

There. She could say what she needed without having to make direct eye contact. Not now. She couldn't do that now.

She took a deep breath. These things didn't come easily, no matter who she was talking to.

"And last night, when you walked in, I was just…I guess I was just trying to remember."

He stood and walked closer to where she was. She trembled slightly at his close proximity. She tried to tell herself it was just the cold and that Mrs. Kent's earlier words had nothing to do with it.

"Your mom?"

"Everything. Anything. I haven't even seen her grave in ten years. I, uh…I thought I would go this summer when my dad and I were looking for my wayward sister in Germany, but…that didn't happen."

There she goes again. Clark Kent should work for the CIA. He'd get those terrorists to talk.

She sighed and looked high into the dark sky. He placed his hand on her shoulder and slightly massaged it.

Where was that wall when she needed it?


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story.

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**Chapter 6

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**

He was standing so close. Her breathing slightly quickened with each passing moment.

He was blocking her escape route. He had to stand directly behind her. He had to put his hand on her shoulder. Maybe she could jump out the window? Too bad she didn't know how to fly.

"Look, Lois…I know we give each other a hard time. And…I've never dealt with this before…losing a parent." She dropped her gaze and watched the cows huddled outside below in the pen next to the barn, their breath visible in the cold night air. "But, I meant it last night when I said I'm here for you. If you just want to talk, or even if you don't, I'll still be here."

She shifted her footing slightly and, keeping her arms crossed against her chest, kept her focus on the cows while she processed his words.

She knew she could count on him. That was never in question. She just didn't _want_ to count on him. She liked doing things herself, handling her own problems. But maybe, just maybe, she'd been dealing with this alone for too long.

He could break her wall. And, on some level, she knew she could break his, too. That's why she felt somewhat comfortable letting her defenses down around him.

And then, she felt it. A tear. No, not now. Don't fall. Please, don't fall now.

Her chin started to quiver. She had to do something. Anything. She didn't want to cry in front of him, but he interrupted her last night. She would've had it all out of her system by now. But, no. The pent up tears were about to fall and it was all his fault.

She sniffed and kept her back to him. Just don't turn around. Don't do it, Lane. She took a deep breath. His hand was still there, resting on her shoulder, softly massaging it.

And then, she did it.

She turned and faced him. She saw the concern in his eyes and knew that he really did mean every word he said. He, in turn, saw her face, the moonlight dancing across her features.

And that's when he saw it. The lone tear fell down her face.

She sniffed and quickly wiped her cheek. How could she be so stupid? How could she let him see? She sighed and knew she had to say something. She had to explain.

"Thanks." She gave a faint smile and looked to the ground. "I guess everything that's happened this year is finally catching up with me." She took a breath. "Thinking Chloe was dead, then she was alive." She looked up and turned her head to the window. "Leaving the big city behind and moving to this, the Corn Capital of the World." She glanced back at him and smiled. "And even though it was short-lived…having to revisit the traumatic awkwardness that is high school to get one measly credit. Oh, and let's not forget being possessed, not once, but twice. Getting kicked out of college…twice. Making my stripping debut and giving you a lap dance, then getting kidnapped and nearly smuggled out of the country." The Kent beaming grin reappeared at that memory. Lois smirked. Why didn't that surprise her?

She paused, took a slow deep breath and looked away from him as she continued.

"Finding out my sister isn't the person I knew her to be... and then experiencing the meteoric apocalypse and thinking that you and your parents had died…"

"Lois…"

She looked at him and sarcastically smiled.

"No, really, Smallville. It's okay. It's just been one of those years. How does that saying go? 'You've gotta hit rock bottom before you can make any real changes?' Yeah, I think that's it. Well, I think I've done it. This is my rock bottom."

She bit her lip and turned away again, this time squeezing past him and moving to the couch, his gaze following her the whole way as she sat on one end of the old sofa.

"No, that's not what I meant, Lois. I guess I just didn't realize the meteor shower had that much of an effect on you."

He wasn't going to come right out and say it. Not going to discuss their Freudian slip of a hug in the hospital when they first saw each other after the meteor shower. And she knew it, because she felt the same way.

"Well, it did. Not to sound like Chicken Little, but the whole sky fell that day. It was terrifying, even for me. I didn't know where anyone was. After it happened I couldn't find Chloe, and I'm still lost on exactly what happened to her." Clark looked away and ignored the statement. "And when I got here…and I saw the house… I had to step into a crater to get to the house, Smallville." Her voice was becoming more intense and increasing slightly in volume. "When I screamed out your name, I saw your dad throwing debris around while he frantically searched for your mom."

She was fighting the tears. She just hoped the anger would grow and overwhelm the sadness.

"And when we found her, she was bloody, she was unconscious, and she barely had a pulse."

Clark raised his head and looked at her. Her intense gaze was almost too much for him.

"What?"

Obviously, no one had told the prodigal son this side of the story. And he never really gave a valid excuse for his whereabouts after the graduation ceremony. What happened to him during those few hours anyway? Was that amnesia recurring?

"She would've died if your dad and I hadn't found her and gotten her to the hospital when we did."

Clark slowly walked to the couch and sat next to her. He leaned forward on his elbows and kept his head down as he spoke.

"I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Well, let's see. You hooked up with Lana, I was in Metropolis for a while, then I hooked up with A.C…" Clark shut his eyes and sighed as she continued. "Then, the next time I saw you, I gave you a lap dance, and, let's be honest, that's not really the best time to discuss your mother's near death experience."

She was mad, but she wasn't sure why. No, she was. Sure, he had thanked her that day at the hospital for being there for his parents. And, she, in turn, reluctantly thanked him for the backup when she was kidnapped.

But what about the everyday things? He never really bothered to care about that before.

It also angered her that she was having so much trouble lately controlling her feelings around him. What was happening to her? It was becoming so much harder to keep everything in check.

But he was gradually becoming her best friend. Oh, who was she kidding? He was her _only_ friend, at least, other than Chloe. She and Lana certainly weren't gal pals.

He seemed to be in deep thought. Great, she'd activated the brooding switch. How long was this one gonna last? She rolled her eyes, sighed, and softened her voice.

"Listen…Clark."

She took a breath. She didn't mind calling him by his name. It just always seemed to make it more personal to use the first name, and personal and uncomfortable silences usually went hand-in-hand in her experience.

"I'm sorry we haven't talked about this. But there just never seemed to be a good time to discuss it. But everything worked out. Your mom is okay, your dad is okay. And…you're okay." She placed her hand on his arm and smiled. "And Shelby. Shelby survived, and as much as that mutt irritates my allergies, I'm glad he didn't bite the dust."

He grinned and turned his head towards her. She looked deep into those baby blues and got lost. But only for a second. Then she suddenly realized where her hand was and quickly removed it from his arm.

She cleared her throat and darted her eyes away from him, directing her gaze to a piece of yellow fuzz on the couch armrest.

But his gaze never left her. And she knew it.

The awkward tension was just getting started.

She placed her hands on her thighs and quickly stood. She didn't want to do it, but the last two days capped off a year that had almost been too much for her. She was mentally exhausted.

"Well, I guess I should be going. I've got class in the morning, then a double shift at the Talon."

His smile fell. Did he want her to stay? She secretly hoped he did, but made no outward gesture that acknowledged it.

"Oh. Okay."

That's it? That's all he has to say?

She crossed her arms and slowly made her way to the stairs, watching the ground as she walked.

"Lois."

She hesitated before she turned around. When she did, he rose off the couch and took a few steps closer to her. Oh, no. What was he doing? She was having trouble reading him. He was predictable most of the time, but like Mrs. Kent said, he could always surprise you when you least expected it.

And then, it happened.

He stepped closer to her and, wrapping his large arms around her, pulled her in for a hug. She didn't have time to react. But it was so natural that she instinctively wrapped her arms around his torso.

What was she _doing_? Hugging Smallville? But…it felt right.

She sighed deeply and pressed her cheek against his chest as he rested his chin on the top of her head. She had to admit the flannel felt nice.

On some level, she didn't want to pull away. And thank goodness she didn't have to. He released his embrace, and, putting his hands on her shoulders, looked her square in the eye as he spoke.

"Lois, just remember. You're never dealt more than you can handle. And if you can't, that's what I'm here for."

She gasped softly as he repeated her mother's words to her father. He remembered.

Mrs. Kent, it seemed, was never wrong.

She darted her eyes, then looked back at him, a smile forming on his face. She shook her head. How did he do it?

She couldn't speak. If she did, she didn't know how weak her voice would sound. She had to leave. She could feel it welling up inside of her.

Looking him in the eye, she managed a weak smile and quickly nodded her head. They both understood.

"I'll stop by the Talon sometime tomorrow afternoon."

She nodded again and turned to leave. She slowly made her way down the loft stairs and out of the barn. She opened her car door and started the engine, pulling on her seat belt as she put the car in reverse. She wouldn't do it yet. Not yet. She wasn't sure if he could still see.

She backed the car around the driveway and, putting it in drive, made her way down the dark dusty lane to the main road.

But she couldn't hold it in. She couldn't make it. The tears began to fall before she reached the red metal mailbox. And there was no stopping them now. They were overdue and she knew it.

So, she let them fall, all the way home.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story.

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**Chapter 7

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**

"Okay, who ordered the tall no whip decaf soy mocha latte?"

She had to shout to be heard over the growing evening crowd. Halfway into her second shift, she realized that the new waitress she'd hired only last week was not coming in.

The middle-aged man grabbed the coffee out of her hand and hastily made his way back through the multitude towards the door. She didn't blame him. She'd leave, too, if this weren't her home _and_ her source of income.

She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, the events in the loft still weighing on her mind.

She'd crawled into bed as soon as she walked in the door, not bothering to change into her pajamas. She drifted in and out of consciousness most of the night. When she woke that morning, her pillow was soaked. She'd apparently cried in her sleep at some point during the night. She hoped it was all out of her system.

It had since been a long day. She had an eight o'clock class that morning, the only class she could get into on short notice this late in the semester at Central Kansas. She'd decided to take some journalism classes per Chloe's prodding. After class, she had to rush over to the Talon for her first shift at ten.

It was now seven o'clock on Friday night and, apparently, there was nothing else to do in the town but hang out in the local coffee shop. Of course, ever since Mrs. Kent got the projector working again in the theater, the locals flocked in every weekend to see nightly showings of classic films. It had certainly helped business. It also got Lois a raise. So, she didn't complain.

"I'd like a grande extra whip half soy cappuccino. And I haven't got all night."

She shook herself of her thoughts and flashed her best fake smile at the short balding man as she spoke. Ugh, is that what Lex would look like in a few years?

"Coming right up."

She sighed as she reached for the cup and fixed his drink. Only three more hours. Only three more hours and she could go upstairs and escape.

She hadn't seen him all day. He said he would stop by in the afternoon, but he didn't. He probably had some excuse. Like always. It's not that she necessarily wanted to see him. But it's just the fact that he said he would be there.

She had already sent Mrs. Kent home. Lois lied and told her she could handle the place with just two other waitresses. She even promised to clean the theater and lock up at the end of the night. Mrs. Kent reluctantly went home after Lois threatened to call Mr. Kent and tell him she was working too hard. Not doubting Lois' threat, and to avoid any unnecessary confrontation with her husband, she left.

Lois was grateful in a way, but she missed having someone there to talk to. She hadn't seen Chloe in a week. She called her that morning on her way to the Talon, but Chloe said she was working on some project and she couldn't talk right then. And Mr. Perpetually Late was still, well, late.

The next three hours crawled by. Her hands were sticky from the mountains of cinnamon buns and muffins she'd passed out and she was pretty sure the strands of hair that had fallen in her face were laced with espresso. She was tempted several times to step out the back door and scream, but she feared someone would think she was being mugged.

Finally, at ten thirty, the last couple filed through the red swinging theater doors. They turned to her and smiled. This time she smiled whole-heartedly, truly thankful everyone was gone.

"Bye. Have a good night and thanks for coming."

She had to be cordial, after all, she was still on the clock. And in this small town, where everyone's connected one way or another, it would quickly get back to Mrs. Kent if she were anything less than hospitable.

She grabbed the mop, bucket, and a trash bag she'd already taken out of the back room and headed towards the theater doors.

The bell on the front door jingled. She hollered over her shoulder without turning around as she made her way into the theater.

"I'm sorry, we're closed. You'll have to come back tomorrow."

"But I was hoping for a caffeine boost."

There it was. That voice. It had a way of sneaking up on her lately.

She smiled and turned to face him, mop in left hand, bucket in right, trash bag under arm.

"Well, then you should've been here before we closed."

He smiled as he walked towards her.

"Do you need some help?"

No, she didn't need any help. She'd done this for the last few hours by herself and she was darn well gonna finish it by herself.

"If you want."

What? No, no. Say you don't need help. You don't want him here. You just want to clean it up by yourself and then go upstairs, take a bath, and go to sleep. Tell him to go milk a cow or bale some hay. Anything. Just tell him you don't need his help.

He took the bucket of water out of her hand as she made her way into the theater. He followed as she flipped on the light switch, which illuminated the rubbish scattered throughout the room.

She sighed as she leaned on the mop handle. She didn't want to do it. But she wasn't going to let him know that.

They looked at each other and smiled. She had to be the first to say it.

"You know, I've heard that when faced with something you can't handle, you can depend on someone else to help you out."

He laughed.

"What? Lois Lane can't handle a little trash pickup?"

She smirked and, holding the mop handle in her left hand, put her other hand on her hip.

"Hey, you're the one that's the expert in that area. At least, that's what Chloe tells me your community service involved a couple of years ago."

He nodded his head and smiled.

"Okay, that's fair. Tell ya what. Since I do happen to be an expert, I'll pick up the trash."

That was too good to be true.

"Deal."

"I'm not finished. I'll pick up the trash and you can mop. Between the two of us, it shouldn't take that long."

If she only knew it would only take him ten seconds to have the entire place spotless. But _that_ conversation was for a later time.

She sighed. The sooner they finished, the sooner she could go to bed.

"Fine. Hand me the bucket."

He walked up and down the aisles and in between the rows, picking up the empty, and the not so empty, coffee cups, discarded muffin wrappers, napkins, and any other trash that he could see and was willing to touch.

She followed behind him, quickly mopping the floor when he would pick up a coffee cup that wasn't empty, spilling its contents. After the fifth time, and after several attempts to tell him to be more careful, she was ready to smack him across the face with the mop.

But instead, she laughed at his clumsiness. She couldn't help it. He really was trying to help, and deep down she appreciated it.

He gave a half-smile and uttered a quiet "Sorry" the sixth time he dropped a full cup of coffee, the contents of it spilling down his jeans. She could do nothing but laugh.

"Lois, I don't really see what's so funny. I'm covered in coffee."

Well, that did it. She was past laughing and had moved to full-on cackling. She doubled over in hysterics, bracing herself on one of the seats. All the stress of the day was finally coming out.

"No, it's not that." She could barely talk. She stood upright and waved her hand back and forth in between them. "I mean, just look at us. Your pants are ruined. I've got coffee in my hair. I think my hands are stuck to this mop from the ten thousand blueberry muffins I've handled today. And you can't pick up a single cup without spilling it." She blew a strand of hair out of her face and looked at him, placing her hand on her hip. "We certainly make quite a team, Kent."

He grinned from ear to ear. She plopped down in the seat closest to her. They were in the center of the theater and were only halfway finished.

"Hey, we're not that bad. I think we make a pretty good team."

She shot him a skeptical look and smiled.

"We're a disaster, Smallville. I told your mom I could handle it tonight, that I could clean up and lock up by myself. I think I should've stuck to that plan."

He laughed and leaned on the seat of the row in front of them. He looked back up behind them at the projector then to her and smiled.

"You know, Lois. We don't have to finish this tonight. No one will be in here until tomorrow night. I can come by tomorrow afternoon and we can finish cleaning it then."

She crossed her arms.

"Oh, you mean like how you came by this afternoon like you said you would?"

He sighed and looked down.

"I'm sorry. Something.."

"Came up, right? Of course, it did. It always does with you. You know, Smallville, you are so predictable."

"Wait right here, Lois."

He picked up the bag of trash and walked away from her out of the row and into the aisle. He turned and made his way to the back of the theater. She turned around in her seat and watched him go into the booth.

"What the… Smallville? Where are you going? See, this is completely going against what I just said. That doesn't make me look very good."

What was he doing? Ugh, guys in her life always did have trouble with communication.

The lights dimmed and the screen began to flicker.

'Moon River' began to resonate throughout the theater. She gasped as she turned back around and looked at the screen.

He came back down the aisle, walked into the row and sat next to her. The lights might've been out, but the Kent smile was still beaming. Her eyes never left the screen.

"Clark…how..?"

"…Did I know 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' was your favorite movie? Chloe told me."

She laughed softly. So, did he ask Chloe that question or was that just something that popped up into the general conversation? She was sure she could find out later, once she managed to get in touch with her cousin.

She turned and looked at him. He smiled and handed her a tub of popcorn, still hot from the popper, and set two coffees in the cup holders.

This was the second time in two days Clark Kent had made Lois Lane speechless. But that's okay. Actions always did speak louder than words.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story.

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**Chapter 8

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"_Wherever you're going I'm going your way. Two drifters off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see. We're after the same rainbow's end—" _

_He stopped at the edge of her balcony and turned to her, his red cape blowing in the wind. He smiled that gorgeous beaming smile. _

"_There's a reason it's your favorite movie, Lois. That's us. We're Fred and Holly." _

_He held out his hand to her. _

"_Come on, Lois. Let's go see the world." _

_She stood there in her pale blue satin nightgown. Should she go? Did she trust him? Did she trust herself? She just wasn't sure of anything anymore. _

"_Lois?" _

_He stood there…waiting. Waiting for her. Would he always be there? Did she want to need him? Or did she need to want him? _

"_Lois?" _

_He stepped up on the concrete wall surrounding her balcony. His beautiful blue eyes calling to her. She took a deep breath. She stretched out her arm to him. _

"_LOIS!" _

She bolted upright, drenched in sweat. She could hardly catch her breath. Her heart was racing.

"Good to see you finally awake, cuz. Didn't realize you were gonna sleep til noon. I've been standing here screaming your name for ten minutes."

Chloe smiled as she stood at the foot of Lois' bed. She held a folded copy of the day's Daily Planet in one hand and what looked to be a fresh cup of coffee in the other.

"Come on, get up. We've got a week's worth of gossip to catch up on."

Chloe turned to leave Lois' bedroom, calling over her shoulder as she walked away.

"I'll just make myself at home while you get dressed."

Lois fell back into her pillow and sighed. She had to do something about the lock on that door.

She reluctantly rolled out of bed, too tired to even find her bunny slippers. She plodded into the kitchen where her cousin had indeed made herself at home, busily typing away on her laptop while conversing on her cell phone.

Lois really didn't know how her cousin did it sometimes. She could never imagine herself a hot-shot reporter. It's not that she probably wouldn't be good at it. She just wanted to make sure that whatever path she chose in life was the right one. She didn't want to screw it up by making the wrong decision like she had so many other things in her life.

Chloe closed her phone and laid it on the counter. Hands still typing on her keyboard, she kept her eyes on the screen as she spoke.

"I already made coffee." She glanced up at her cousin, who was already reaching for a mug and the pot of coffee. "Hey, I told you to get dressed."

"Mmhhmm."

"Mmhhmm? What does that mean?"

Lois didn't say anything. She took a slow sip of the hot coffee, keeping her back to Chloe, staring out the window at the red flashing neon theater sign.

"Lois? Are you okay?"

It's not that she was ignoring her cousin. She was just lost in her thoughts. There were too many things that happened lately. Too many emotions unleashed. She didn't know what was going on. She was on the verge of moping, which was very unfamiliar territory. What was happening to her life?

"I talked to Clark."

Lois turned to face her. She talked to him? When? What did he say? Did she know about last night?

"Really?"

"Yeah. He said he stayed here with you a couple of nights ago." Chloe paused. She dropped her gaze before she continued. "Is there something you need to tell me?" She looked back up at her disheveled cousin. Lois' hair was down and messy and her pajama pants were twisted. Her pajama top was also buttoned wrong.

"What? No, Chloe. He stayed here, yes, and slept on the couch. He came over to bring me some of Mrs. Kent's meatloaf. I asked him to stay because it was late and the roads were bad." She paused and took a breath. "I was having a rough day that day. That's all." She looked down into the liquid in the blue ceramic coffee mug.

Chloe slowly nodded her head and gave a feeble smile.

"Yeah…I know. You have that same rough day every year."

Lois smiled. She was glad that, for once that week she didn't have to explain every detail to the other person.

Chloe knew Lois better than anyone else. Lois would like to think she knew Chloe pretty well, too. She was actually relieved to have someone other than Smallville to talk to. She was growing tired of confessing.

"Yeah, weird how that happens, isn't it?"

Chloe laughed.

"Yeah, it is." She lost the smile and stopped before asking her next question, searching her cousin's face for any visual clues. "But, you never answered my question. Is everything okay?"

Lois walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling one leg under her. She took another sip of coffee. Chloe hopped off the stool and closed her laptop. She crossed her arms and strolled over to the couch and sat, pulling both legs under her.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Chlo. I ought to be able to handle this. I'm tougher than this. But this week…I don't know." She paused. "It all started when he showed up."

Chloe looked confused.

"He who? Clark?"

"Yeah. He showed up here that night. _My_ night. The one night…no, strike that. The one _day_ of the year that I cry. You know me, Chloe. I don't cry, except on that day. But he moseyed on in here and I couldn't do it. I couldn't have my night." She started to tear up. "And look at me! I'm doing it again! Ever since that night I've been doing this!" She quickly wiped her eyes. "He showed up and saw me like this. He saw me at my weakest." She took a breath. "You should've seen me the night before last. Not only did I cry all the way back from the Kents', but apparently I also cried all night while I was asleep. If the General had been here, he would've yelled til he was blue in the face, telling me how weak I was." She paused to sniff. She looked at Chloe, who put a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, Lois. I should've been here for you this week. But I know that you usually don't want to talk to anyone around this time of year. That's why I didn't call you that day. And I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you more yesterday, but I've just had a lot of things going on at the Planet and classes are killing me. Plus, I've got this other project I'm working on…"

"No, Chloe. It's okay. I'm not blaming you. It's just been a strange week. Well, stranger than usual, anyway. Smallville's been especially nice to me lately, which is freaking me out. It's probably just because it was the anniversary. I had to explain it to him when he showed up unannounced. And can you believe he actually sat here until three in the morning wanting to know all about Mom and Dad? How they met, her favorite flowers, has the General always been so intimidating? He wanted to look at all my pictures. He even wanted to know about my childhood. It was so…strange."

Chloe smiled.

"And do you know what he did last night? Well, first of all, Mister Always Has An Excuse said he would be here yesterday afternoon. Not that I was waiting for him, by the way." Chloe grinned. "What? I _wasn't_. He just said he would be here and he didn't show."

Chloe threw up her hands in mock surrender and smiled.

"Okay, okay. So, you say you weren't waiting on him when you were waiting on him?"

"Ye-…No!" Lois sighed and closed her eyes, continuing on with her story. "So, anyway, he decided to waltz in downstairs after we closed. He tried to help me clean up the theater, which turned into a complete disaster. He kept spilling coffee that I had to mop up. Then, he spilled it all over himself." She paused and grinned. "Well, actually, that was pretty funny."

Chloe laughed and shook her head.

"So, he just showed up to help you clean the theater?"

Lois looked at her cousin quizzically.

"Well, actually, I'm not sure _why_ he showed up. But it's what happened later that was so…I don't know. Nice? I'm still trying to figure out what his ulterior motive was. There had to be one."

Chloe shot Lois a confused look.

"What do you mean? What did he do?"

"We were cleaning. He spilled coffee down his jeans. I laughed. Then he said something about cleaning the rest of the theater later today, that we didn't need to clean it all last night. Before I knew it, he had walked to the back of the theater and into the booth. 'Moon River' started playing and--"

"- -'Breakfast at Tiffany's' was on the screen."

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?"

"Well, Clark called me a couple of days ago. He asked me some really strange questions. Mostly about you."

Lois set her mug down on the coffee table and turned to face her cousin.

"About _me_? What questions about me?"

"Well, favorite movie was one of them." Lois sighed, remembering Clark's admission last night of the source of his knowledge on that topic. "Lois, maybe he just wanted to do something nice for you…especially after this week. You said yourself it was probably just because of the anniversary."

"Yeah, I know. And it was nice. It was just…unexpected. But, something just doesn't feel right. But, at the same time, it does." She stopped, turned to her cousin and smiled. "Am I making any sense?"

Chloe grinned.

"Believe it or not, Lo, you're making perfect sense."

At least someone understood her, because she certainly didn't understand herself at the moment.

"My emotions have just been like a roller-coaster this week, Chlo. Sometimes, it's been terrifying. Other times, nauseating. It's just all been so…weird. And completely out of the ordinary for me."

Chloe moved her legs out from under her and stood.

"Oh, come on. Lois Lane can handle anything. Besides, after living in this town for a year, you ought to be used to 'out of the ordinary.'" She grinned as she walked back to the counter and grabbed her laptop.

Lois laughed softly. Chloe was right. She should be used to it by now. She usually could roll with the punches.

But, this week, especially that one night, usually belonged to her. _And_ her mom. She didn't want to lose that. She hoped it wasn't slipping away.

"You would think so, wouldn't ya, Chlo?" She stood and crossed her arms while walking towards Chloe. "Now, if only I could get used to this recurring nightmare about that guy in the red cape. That still scares me."

Chloe smiled. She put her laptop in her bag and grabbed her cell phone and the folded Daily Planet off the counter.

"Yeah. Boy, Lois. A guy in a red cape. Sounds pretty scary to me." She flung her bag on her shoulder and reached for her keys. Lois shot her an unappreciative look.

"Don't worry about it, Lois. It's just a dream."

"Yeah, right. It's not _your_ dream. Or nightmare. If it's scary, it's a nightmare, right?"

Chloe laughed.

"Well, Lois, I wish I could stay longer and help you complete that thought process, but I've got a ton of work to do. I only came to town to take care of a few things. But, call me later?"

Lois smiled.

"Sure. I've gotta get going anyway. I've still got half a theater to clean up this afternoon. And I'll probably be doing it by myself. You know he won't show. Something will come up, and he'll apologize later for not being there."

Chloe just smiled and shook her head.

"I don't know, Lois. He's surprised you before."

She sighed. Why did everyone keep saying that?

"Why does everyone keep saying that? Smallville is so predictable. Sure, he has his moments, like last night and the night he stayed here, but it's nothing to get excited about. Those moments are just flukes. He'll never change. He's just the same old humdrum farmboy who's gonna be stuck in this town for the rest of his life."

Chloe grinned.

"If you say so, Lois. I just think Clark will surprise all of us one of these days."

Lois rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Chlo. You're more optimistic than I am." Chloe laughed. Lois pulled her into a hug. "I'll give you a call later. Thanks for being my alarm clock this morning."

Chloe laughed.

"Anytime, cuz. Okay, I gotta go. I've gotta be back in Metropolis later to finish an article." She pulled away from Lois and reached for the door.

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay."

"Bye, Baby."

"Bye, Lo."

Lois closed the door behind her. Still holding the door knob, she slowly spun around and leaned against the door. She felt somewhat better after talking to her cousin, who was usually right in the advice she always bestowed, but she was still apprehensive and confused about everything else that had happened that week.

She always did things her way, by herself. That's the way she was raised. After all, she had to learn to do it herself in case there was no one else around.

But lately, he had been around. And she couldn't quite figure out if she wanted to need him or needed to want him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story, so please don't take that away from me.

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**Chapter 9

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**

She ran down the stairs. She should've been down there an hour ago to clean, but she took an extra long shower, trying in vain to clear her head. It was when she sat on the couch to put on her shoes that she noticed it. The box was still sitting there under the coffee table.

She didn't want to do it. But she did. She just wanted a peek, a longing glance, something to remember as she went through her day. She thought it would be a fitting end to the week.

She took the lid off the dusty box. That's when she realized it was missing. It should've been right on top. She searched frantically, first raking through the box, then finally dumping out the contents next to her on the couch. She turned each one over. Her heart raced with each flip of her hand. Where was it?

It was only when she glanced at the clock in the kitchen and saw it was after two in the afternoon. She technically didn't have to be at work until four, but she still hadn't finished cleaning the theater. Smallville had talked her out of it last night. And she complied, but only because Audrey Hepburn was calling out to her from the giant screen. Part of her wished she hadn't been so gullible.

Turning the corner at the bottom of the stairs, she almost knocked over Mrs. Kent.

"Oh, Mrs. Kent. Sorry."

Mrs. Kent put her arm out to slow down Lois.

"Hey, Lois. Is something wrong?"

"What? Oh, no. Nothing's wrong." She waved it off. "I'm just in a hurry. I only got half the theater cleaned last night and I needed to finish cleaning it before tonight's show."

"Oh, well, that's okay, Lois. But, the theater doesn't need cleaning. It's spotless. I checked it a little while ago when I was testing the projector for tonight."

What? Who on earth could've done that? And done it willingly?

"Are you sure, Mrs. Kent? Because last night when I left the place, it was a mess."

Lois and Mrs. Kent exchanged looks of confusion.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, Lois. But somebody cleaned it. Go see for yourself, if you want."

Lois walked towards the red swinging doors and aggressively pushed the door open. She flicked on the light and looked around at the spotless room. She walked down the aisle towards the row she spent most of the night in when she and Smallville had their own private theater. She plopped down in the same seat she occupied the previous night.

What had happened? There were no coffee cups, no muffin wrappers. Nothing. The floor wasn't even sticky anymore. In fact, it looked like the entire room had been mopped and vacuumed.

Maybe that waitress she'd hired felt bad about not showing up last night and was trying to make amends.

Nah. People weren't that nice.

Smallville? Could he…? No. He wasn't thrilled about cleaning the place last night.

Of course, he didn't seem that enthused during the movie either, even though the whole thing had been his idea.

He'd slid down next to her in his seat, his feet propped up on the row in front of him. His head eventually found its way to her shoulder after he dozed off.

Lois realized this long about the time Fred, who was actually Paul, discovered she wasn't Holly Golightly, but, in fact, Lula Mae Barnes.

Apparently, the suspense was too much for Smallville and he conked out. But he had stayed, even though he didn't seem that interested. And she loved it.

He finally woke up towards the end of the movie, long about the time Holly burned dinner, which reminded him of Lois' cooking skills. She elbowed him in the side and shushed him. He grinned and shook his head, sitting upright in his seat. She got misty-eyed at the end, when Holly was frantically looking for Cat, but made sure not to let it go any further. She'd done enough crying lately.

After the movie ended, he wanted to be filled in. She refused at first, scolding him and saying that if he wanted to know what happened, then he should've stayed awake. But after much pleading and brooding on his part, she relented.

She actually enjoyed recounting the story as much as he seemed to delight in listening to her tell it. So, for the next couple of hours, they sat in the old creaky theater seats discussing her love of Truman Capote and how his stories could relate to so many different people on so many different levels.

She found out the farm boy wasn't as dumb and blank as he looked half the time. She secretly had to admit he actually had a brain.

She needed to go help Mrs. Kent prepare for the late afternoon and evening crowd. But she also needed to go back up to her apartment to continue looking for what she'd lost. She was about to stand when she heard him.

"You're gonna be sitting there a long time if you're waiting for the movie to start. I hear the next show's not til eight tonight."

His voice dripped with sarcasm. She had to figure out a way to keep him from sneaking up on her the way he had so many times lately.

She grinned and stood, turning around to face him. She took her usual defiant stance and crossed her arms.

"Well, actually I was going to finish cleaning this place, but it looks like someone beat me to it."

He walked down the aisle and looked around the empty room. He strolled past her row and kept his back to her as he spoke.

"Gee, Lois. Who could've done such a thing?"

Something in his voice gave it away and, even with his back to her, she could tell the Kent grin was out.

"Cool it, Smallville. I know it was you."

She wasn't entirely sure if he was the one that cleaned it. But, she was pretty certain that if he didn't deny it, then he was probably the culprit.

He turned to look at her, an innocent expression on his face.

"Me? You sure about that, Lois?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes. She began to walk out of the row and up the aisle, leaving him standing there.

"I don't have time for this. I have to go find something."

It wasn't that she didn't want to stay and talk to him. She just had more important things on her mind. Something irreplaceable was lost that needed to be found. And she wasn't going to rest until she had it in her hands once again.

He ran up the aisle after her.

"Wait, Lois."

She stopped at the red doors and turned around, her arms still folded against her chest.

"What is it, Smallville?"

"Uh…I, er…"

What was he doing? She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Spit it out, Smallville. I haven't got all day."

He looked down at his shoes for a moment, then back up at her.

"Do you want some help?"

She shot him a confused look as he continued.

"Because I'm pretty good at finding things. You know, working on a farm and all. Hay stacks…and needles." He grinned sheepishly.

Lois wasn't too sure what to make of this. Farm Boy wasn't making much sense, but that wasn't too unusual. She didn't really want his help, but he did seem to have an uncanny ability to locate lost items…and people. She'd lost count of the number of times he'd miraculously found her and Chloe after they'd gotten themselves into sticky situations. Maybe he could help after all.

She shrugged her shoulders and nodded.

"Suit yourself."

She turned and walked through the swinging door, leaving him standing there. He quickly caught up with her out front at the base of the stairs. He followed her up to her apartment.

She threw her keys on the kitchen counter and immediately walked over to the couch. They were everywhere. She got upset earlier before she went downstairs, and, in her zeal to find it, had managed to scatter them all over the couch, coffee table and floor.

She squatted and began to slowly pick up each one. He stopped in her doorway when he saw the mess.

"Lois…what happened?"

If he was going to ask questions, then she didn't want his help. She just wanted to find it. She couldn't concentrate on anything else until it was found.

"I lost something."

"Well, maybe if you told me what it is that you lost, I can help you find it."

He was trying to help. And, she appreciated his willingness to help. But at the same time, she wanted to find it on her own. A part of her needed her to find it on her own.

She sighed and closed her eyes, sitting back on her feet.

"I've lost a picture."

He walked closer to where she was in the floor.

"Okay…which picture?"

She took a deep breath and, opening her eyes, she stared at the mass of photos that lay spread around her.

"The one of my mom holding the lilies."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story, so once again, please don't take that away from me.

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**Chapter 10

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"Are you sure, Lois?"

She sighed. She did not need this right now. It was gone. And she was becoming a wreck.

"Yes, Smallville. I'm sure. It was here the other night when you were here. I put it back in the box the next morning. It was the last picture I put in there. It should've been right on top. And it wasn't there."

She didn't mean to, but her voice was gradually getting louder. She wasn't upset with him. She was upset with herself. How could she lose that picture? How could she be so stupid? The one picture she always made sure to look at on that day. And she'd lost it.

It was the one that took her back. Took her to a better time. A time before the cancer. Sure, she wasn't even alive when it was taken, but her mom just seemed so happy. And she needed to remember that.

He walked closer to where she was between the coffee table and couch. She moved her legs under her and sat on the floor, gripping a handful of the old photos.

She took a deep breath and looked at the mountain of pictures spread on the table and sofa.

"Why?"

"Why what, Lois?"

"Why that picture? Why is that the one picture that's missing?"

"Are you sure it's the only one missing?"

She looked up at him standing across the coffee table.

"I'm pretty sure, Smallville. I look through each and every one of these pictures on that day every year. And I've done it for several years. I think I know which ones are missing. And that's the only one."

She was growing tired of this. She was furious and desolate at the same time. Which should come first, the crying or screaming? Both were beginning to look inevitable.

He walked over to the couch and scooted the pictures over before sitting down. He gently picked up a photo that lay next to him of two young girls, one slightly taller, but less happy than the other. He studied the photo before turning to Lois.

"Lois, I promise we'll find the picture."

She could feel it coming. But, no. She wouldn't do it again. She wouldn't lose control like she had so many times already that week. She had to focus on the task at hand.

Lois picked up all the pictures on the couch and moved them to the coffee table. She hoisted herself up and sat on the sofa next to him. She leaned forward on her elbows and put her head in her hands.

"I don't know what could have happened to it. It just doesn't make any sense. I didn't take it out of the box. And it certainly didn't grow legs and walk away or sprout wings and fly. I mean… it doesn't _mean_ anything to anyone else."

She wasn't really talking to him. She was talking to herself and whoever happened to hear.

"Why is it so important to you? That particular picture?"

Lois sighed and rolled her eyes in frustration. She didn't want to _talk_ about it. She wanted to _find_ it. Besides, she had opened her soul to him three nights ago and she still wasn't sure why she did it or why he was so interested.

But, for some reason, she would answer his question now, just like she did then.

"I don't remember her like that."

Clark looked confused.

"Like what?"

"Happy. Well, I guess I do to a certain extent. But just bits and pieces. Images, really. I can see her smiling."

Clark half-smiled like he had that night when he wanted to comfort her. Lois paused and leaned against the back of the sofa and crossed her arms.

"She got sick when I was about five. There were good days and bad days off and on for about nine months. It was those last three months when she got worse. We didn't see her as often then. She was in the hospital and Daddy wouldn't take us."

She stopped, laid her head back and looked up at the ceiling, searching for strength and the right words. She still couldn't figure out why she was telling Smallville all these things. Maybe it was simply because he asked. No one had ever thought to do that before.

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"The last time I saw her was the night before she died. I went in the room and climbed up on the bed. She had all these tubes coming out of her. Daddy picked up Lucy and put her on the bed so she could see her, too. I really think that day was more for Mom than it was for us. _She_ was saying goodbye, not _us_."

She was still staring at the ceiling, but she could feel his eyes on her. She wanted him to say something. She had confessed too much this week.

"I never knew my mom."

Lois lifted her head off the back of the couch and turned to him. She knew he was adopted, but he had never talked about his biological parents around her. She'd heard Chloe mention something about his adoption before, but she didn't know any details.

And if he wanted to talk, she was going to let him.

"My real mom, that is. A part of me kinda feels empty for not knowing my biological parents, especially my mother." He paused and looked down at his hands in his lap. "Don't get me wrong, I love my adopted parents. But…I sometimes wonder what my life would've been like…"

She gave a feeble smile and nodded. She knew exactly what he meant.

"If things had never changed? I know. Sometimes, I wonder what my life would've been like if my mom had lived. But, I try not to dwell on it. This is what happened and I can only look to the future. But, I still would've liked to have said goodbye."

He gave a weak smile and nodded. He knew exactly what she meant.

Clark leaned forward and reached for a picture of a young Lois and her mom. Her mother was struggling to hold Lois, who obviously didn't want her picture made, judging by her smirk and the slight tilt of her head to one side.

"You know, Lois. Someone once told me that a mother's love never dies."

She smiled, again striving to fight back tears, and uncrossed her arms, putting them at her sides on the couch. And that's when it happened.

He slowly took her hand in his. The only thing that surprised her was that she wasn't surprised. She felt…comfortable. She also got the distinct feeling that he did, too.

And so, she let him hold her hand.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story, of which I am quite proud.

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**Chapter 11

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The throbbing pain wouldn't stop. She kept her eyes tightly shut to keep the light out. Her head was spinning. She had tossed and turned in her sleep every night for the past four nights. But last night was worse.

She hadn't just cried in her sleep. No, last night she sobbed uncontrollably like she did that night thirteen years ago. Now that it was morning, she could truly feel the pain in her sore muscles.

They never found the picture. He stayed with her until they went through every photograph. He still asked questions about those he found interesting, which seemed, if only for a moment, to take her mind off the one that was missing.

He made some excuse about needing to take care of something and left, after first making sure she would be alright. She assured him she was fine, like always, and he walked out. Part of her wished he hadn't.

But she had to work last night anyway. Mrs. Kent couldn't run the Talon by herself, and Lois didn't mind working. The craziness of serving coffee and muffins took her mind off the picture. But it was always there in the back of her mind and quietly crept into her thoughts whenever the crowd slowed.

By closing time she was emotionally and physically drained and headed upstairs for a long bath. She then fell into bed and cried herself to sleep. The picture danced throughout her dreams and even came to life. She saw her mom sitting there on the rock and could hear her laughing.

She dreamt she was at the Kent farm, standing in the driveway, when she saw her mom walking up the road. She ran up and hugged her. When Lois finally pulled away, she asked her mother what Heaven was like. Her mother smiled and placed her hand on Lois' cheek and said, "I can't tell you. They only let me come back for a little while to let you know everything will be okay. But all I can say is Heaven is wonderful."

Lois began to cry, but her mother wiped away her tears. Smiling, she turned and walked away from Lois, who stood awestruck in front of the yellow farmhouse.

She wasn't ready to wake up. She wanted to stay in her dreams. As far as she was concerned, they were all she had left. She needed them.

Her stomach was turning. She didn't know how long she had been in the fetal position. She gripped the covers tightly around her body. Her pillow was still wet from her tears.

She wasn't sure why she had cried more this anniversary than in the past. But she realized everything got screwed up when Smallville showed up that night unannounced. He'd messed up her routine.

But he had stayed and talked all night about her family. The next night when she confronted him to explain her behavior, he not only saved her from an awkward explanation of the anniversary to his parents, but he hugged her. He had showed up to help her clean the theater and, in the process, surprised her with her favorite movie. Then he unexpectedly cleaned the theater by himself and again stayed to help her look for the lost picture.

As much as he surprised her that week, she was more amazed at herself. She couldn't believe she let him stay the night. She couldn't believe she let him hug her, and she, in turn, hugged him. She let him help her clean the theater and even sat for several hours after the movie discussing Truman Capote. She still couldn't believe he stayed to help her look for the lost picture, asked more questions about her family, talked about his biological parents, and then held her hand. To say the past few days had been shock and awe was an understatement.

She didn't want to open up. She didn't want to see anyone this week. She dealt with her problems the only way she knew how. Alone.

It had been such a strange week. She wasn't exactly sure of everything that had happened. But she was certain of one thing. Her relationship with Smallville was different.

He had gotten through her defenses. Somehow, he'd managed to get her to open up when she least expected. And she was seeing him differently because of it.

They had already secretly admitted to being friends, but he had gotten to her enough that she was slowly starting to gain more respect for the farm boy from Hicksville. And it took a lot to garner Lois Lane's respect.

She had to get up. Rolling over, still gripping the sheets, she looked at the clock on her cardboard nightstand. It was ten o'clock. Even though she'd been in the bed for the last eleven hours, she was pretty sure she didn't sleep the whole time. Her exhaustion and tear-stained pillow gave that away.

Like she had every morning for the past few days, she willed herself to sit up and swing her legs over the side of the bed. She kept her eyes closed. Her head was still throbbing, most likely from all the crying. She was sure she'd never shed as many tears in her whole life as she had that week.

Her feet felt around on the cold floor for the bunny slippers. Finally feeling their familiar fleece warmth, she put them on and pushed herself up off the bed. She stood there for a moment with her eyes closed, breathing deeply and preparing herself for the long day ahead.

She'd thought about going back over to the farm to tell him thanks, but she was well aware of what happened the last time she did that. Was that really a road she wanted to take again?

She had decided last night after Smallville left that she would spend all day today searching everywhere they didn't yesterday. Maybe she did something with it and forgot. Maybe it got picked up with some papers. But it shouldn't have. It was in the box, right on top. It still made no sense. But she would keep looking anyway, until it was found.

Whatever she was going to do, she needed coffee. She plodded into the kitchen and over to the coffee maker, keeping her head down and letting her hair cascade in her face to shield her eyes from the morning light. She poured the coffee grounds into the new filter, filled the top with water and flicked it on. She'd done it so many times, she could do it in her sleep. She thought she probably had.

She spun around to reach for her favorite blue ceramic coffee mug off the island countertop. That's when she noticed them.

There had to be two dozen white lilies standing tall in the clear glass vase. She gasped and nearly dropped her mug.

Those weren't there last night, were they? She hadn't come in the kitchen after work. She'd gone straight to the bathroom to take a bath, then to bed. Surely, she would've seen them.

But there they were. Who could've possibly…

An envelope with "Lois" scrawled in black ink lay next to the vase on the counter. She set her mug on the counter and hesitantly reached for the envelope. She didn't recognize the handwriting and paused for a split second before opening it. Taking a deep breath she tore it open.

A note. Of course, there was a note. Wasn't there always with these things?

It was only a few lines, but it was simple and straightforward. She read it quietly to herself.

_Lois,  
I'm sorry about this week. Everything seemed to bring up memories, which can be good or bad depending on your perspective. I hope to make it up to you. Come by the farm later today around 2 p.m. _

_Clark _

_P.S. I found something that belongs to you. See enclosed._

When wasn't he sorry? He was always sorry for something. He was constantly apologizing for things he couldn't control but always tried to. She didn't know whether to strangle him or love him for that savior complex he had developed.

She read the P.S. again and, bracing herself for what could be enclosed, she cautiously looked inside the envelope.

The tears came first. They seemed to be on automatic lately. This time, however, they were tears of joy, not sadness. Her mouth fell open and the envelope began to shake. Her breathing quickened and she slowly pulled the picture out of the envelope.

Sure, she wanted to know where he found it. She wanted to know if he was the one who took it. But those questions and several others would be answered later.

For right now she held it in her hands once again. And she silently admitted that she would be forever grateful to him.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They mean so much to me. This is the final chapter in this story, but, per request, I'm going to also write this story from Clark's POV, and also maybe a one-shot of Chloe's reaction to Clark's decision of what to do for Lois. There may also be a sequel, so stay tuned! They should be coming soon. Thanks for reading and please review. **

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC, WB, AlMiles, etc. etc. etc. I only own the story, so please don't take that away from me.

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**Chapter 12

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She could probably find her way to the little yellow farmhouse in her sleep. Even though she only lived there for a little while, a small part of her called it home.

It was nearly two o'clock when she turned down the familiar dirt lane. She wasn't sure why she was going. But she wanted answers. She also wanted to know what suddenly caused Smallville to be so surprising.

Mrs. Kent and Chloe had both told her that he could surprise you when you least expected. Even after all that had happened that week, she still wasn't totally convinced. Sure, he had a few surprises in him, such as the movie and the lilies. Okay, the reappearing picture wasn't so bad either. But she still wasn't sure.

She had thought about going to say something to him about helping her look for the picture. But she didn't think she was ready to hug him again.

She noticed The Kents sure did hug a lot, and it was something she still had to get used to. She could hug Chloe, but that was entirely different. She was a girl and she was her cousin. Growing up a general's daughter, you didn't hug, you saluted. Hugs were foreign to her family.

But he had hugged her. She wasn't entirely sure why he did it, but, without flinching, she hugged him, too. They hugged and it lasted longer than two seconds. And she loved it.

She was quietly thankful he had asked her to come over. Being cooped up in the Talon all day would've been unbearable. She was sure she would've cried again, and she was sick of that.

She pulled her car up to the yellow farmhouse and noticed Chloe's red VW Beetle parked in the driveway. Had Smallville asked Chloe over, too? What was going on?

Turning off the engine and stepping out of the car, she wondered if they were in his loft or the house. She decided to check the house first. Even if they weren't there, she'd still like to say hi to Mr. and Mrs. Kent. She never tired of seeing them. And they were two of only a few people who always seemed happy to see her.

She didn't know what to expect today. She was just following instructions on a note that was supposedly left by him. And how had he gotten in her apartment anyway? She made a mental note to go to the hardware store for that deadbolt and safety lock first thing in the morning.

Slowly climbing the wooden steps to the house, she braced herself for anything. She walked to the screen door and knocked.

"Oh, hey, Lois."

Proof that Mrs. Kent always seemed happy to see her.

She held the door open for Lois who stepped into the kitchen where everyone, it appeared, had gathered and were waiting for her.

Mr. Kent and Chloe sat at the island while Smallville poured himself a glass of milk. Mrs. Kent moved to stand next to her husband.

"Lois, have you eaten? We've already had lunch, but I can whip something up for you, if you like?"

Always a mom. She hadn't had anything to eat, but if she did, she was pretty sure she'd throw up from the nerves. The two cups of coffee this morning were enough.

"No, thanks, Mrs. Kent. I'm fine."

She looked at the four faces. They were all smiling at her. And not just smiles. No, it seemed everyone, including Chloe, had contracted the Kent grin. Now she was really scared.

"Okay, got your note, Smallville. I'm here. So, what's going on?" She paused and looked at each of them. "And what is with the freaky smiles?"

Chloe was the first to move. She got up off the bar stool and stepped closer to Lois. She wrapped her arms tight around her and hugged her.

Sure, Chloe's hugs didn't usually freak her out, but this time something was up.

"I love you, Lois."

Okay…what was going on?

"Uh…you aren't possessed again, are you, Chlo? 'Cause if ya are, I want no part of it this time."

Chloe pulled away, keeping her hands on Lois' shoulders. She still had that goofy smile on her face. She was up to something.

"No, I'm not possessed." She smirked and looked back over her shoulder at Smallville. "I'm just happy."

Okay. She wanted to know what was going on. Someone had to start talking.

"Happy? You sure you don't mean drunk?"

"No, Lois, I'm not drunk. But, unfortunately, I can't stay. I've gotta get back to Metropolis. I just came by to take care of a few things for a friend." She turned and smiled at Clark, who matched her grin. She turned back to Lois, more serious this time. "But, Lois, I just want you to know…that everything will be okay."

Lois softly gasped and gave her cousin a puzzled look. How did she…?

He set his glass of milk on the counter and nodded his head. Now she was not only freaked out, but extremely confused. Was she dying and no one told her?

"Okay, all of you are really starting to creep me out, so if someone doesn't start talking soon…"

"Lois…"

"What, Smallville?"

He smiled and sighed.

"We know this week hasn't been the best for you. That's partly my fault."

She crossed her arms and cocked her hips to one side, waiting for his explanation.

"Okay. You're right. Go on."

He smiled and shook his head.

"So, we've been thinking."

We? Just how many people had he told?

"We? Who's we, Smallville?"

"Chloe, my parents and I."

It was a conspiracy, she just knew it.

Mr. Kent decided to speak up. He hadn't said a word the whole time, which was extremely unusual.

"Yes, and Lois, we want you to know that this is something we all wanted to do, and we were glad to do it."

Again, was she dying? Did she need a kidney? Did one of them need a kidney?

"Glad to do what?" She looked at Smallville. "What's going on?"

He looked at his parents and Chloe. Chloe smiled and grabbed her keys off the island countertop.

"Right. Well, I've gotta get going." She reached for Lois and pulled her into another hug. "Just give me a call later, cuz."

"Okay…sure."

Chloe pulled away and walked toward the door. She stopped, turned around and waved, still grinning like a fool.

"Bye."

"Uh…bye, Chlo."

Lois turned back to Smallville and the Kents. Mrs. Kent walked closer to Lois and hugged her.

"We're gonna go, too, Lois. I wish we could stay, but we've got some things to do."

Mrs. Kent pulled away and smiled. Lois was still confused. The Kents were usually nice to her, but not _this_ nice.

Mr. Kent put his hand on his wife's shoulder and smiled.

"Yeah. And Lois, I know we've said it before, but you're welcome here anytime."

"Okay…thanks, Mr. Kent."

Mrs. Kent grabbed her coat off the chair in the dining room and Mr. Kent ushered her towards the door. She stopped and turned back to Lois.

"Oh, and Lois? It was all Clark's idea."

She smiled as Mr. Kent followed her out the door.

Lois turned to face Smallville, who was leaning back against the kitchen counter, hands stuffed in his pockets, with that stupid grin plastered on his face.

What was he up to? She used to think she could tell what he was thinking. But after this week, she realized she needed to reevaluate him.

"Okay, Smallville. What's going on? What was all your idea?"

He paused for a moment and looked at his feet. He looked back up at her and took a deep breath.

"You wanna go for a ride, Lois?"

A ride? No, she didn't want to go for a ride. She wanted to know what was going on. She wanted to know why Chloe was there and why she had hugged her like it was her last day on earth. She wanted to know what Mrs. Kent meant about it all being his idea. She also wanted answers to questions that she'd had since the picture miraculously returned this morning. She did not want to go for a ride with the farm boy.

"I'm not going anywhere, Smallville, til I find out what's going on."

He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Lois, don't you trust me? It's not like I'm asking you to go see the world with me. It's just a short ride in the truck."

She wasn't sure…she couldn't quite place her finger on it. But she thought, maybe somewhere…she'd heard that before. She shook her head and closed her eyes. If it would get him to explain all of this, then fine.

"Okay, fine. Let's go for a ride in the truck."

His grin widened.

"Okay."

He went to the living room and grabbed his jacket. He threw it on and walked to the door, taking his keys out of the pocket. He stopped and turned to her. She hadn't moved and kept her stance with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Hold up, there, Smallville. Just where is it that we're going exactly?"

He smiled and leaned towards her, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise."

Of course, it was. Why didn't _that_ surprise her. She sighed and rolled her eyes. Would she later regret this?

"Fine, let's go."

She walked past him out the door, down the steps and to the truck. She opened the passenger door and hopped in. She couldn't figure him out. And it was driving her crazy.

He opened the driver's side door and slid across the seat. She turned to look at him as he started the engine and drove away from the farm. He didn't say a word. He kept his eyes focused on the road. Where were they going?

She should say something. Now would be the perfect opportunity to mention the picture and lilies. After all, that uncomfortable silence was starting to creep its way back in.

She took a deep breath and looked out the window at the corn stalks zipping by.

She was about to say it. About to somehow say thanks. But then, the truck turned off the main highway onto a side road and she realized where they were going. What she didn't understand was why they were going there.

"Uh…Smallville?"

The rest of the question couldn't get out fast enough before they turned in.

He parked the truck and cut the engine. He started to get out when she grabbed his arm.

"Wait a minute! What are we doing at the cemetery, Smallville? Last I checked, it wasn't Halloween, so what's going on?"

He smiled and pushed the door open.

"Come on, Lois. I just thought we'd have a look around."

"A look around?"

He got out of the truck and slammed the door, leaving her sitting there wondering. She rolled her eyes, opened the door and got out. What was he up to? This had better be good.

She followed him over the hill. He could at least let her in on it now. After all she'd been through that week, she thought she at least deserved an explanation.

She thought she recognized where they were. She was certain this was the area where Chloe and her dad had been "buried." This was also where that freak Ginsu boy tried to run her through. Smallville had better start talking.

He stopped and turned to face her as she caught up to him.

"Okay, Smallville. You drag me all the way out here-"

"Lois."

"-without the decency of an explanation. You could at least-"

"Lois."

"-give me some clue as to what we're doing in a-"

"Lois!"

She stopped and looked at him, sounding harsher than she wanted, but with her level of frustration so high, anything less seemed impossible.

"What!"

He grinned and shook his head.

"Do you think you could ever shut up long enough to realize what's right in front of you?"

What?

He pointed to a large brown marble marker next to them. Her mouth fell open and she held her breath as she silently read the inscription.

_Everlasting Memorial To  
Ellen Joanne Lane_

_Born August 22, 1956  
Died May 8, 1992  
Buried in Heidelberg, Germany_

_Devoted wife of Gen. Samuel Lane  
Loving mother of Lois Joanne Lane and Lucy Ellen Lane_

_Gone but never forgotten_

Her glance fell below the last line. There, plastered in an oval in the marble was the picture of her mother and the lilies.

She looked at him. All the events from the past few days came flooding back. But, why? Why would he do this for her? They weren't even friends. Out loud, anyway.

The words wouldn't come. But they had to. If ever she had to speak…

"Clark…I…"

He smiled and stepped closer to her.

"I know, Lois."

He wrapped his arms around her as she pressed her cheek into his warm flannel shirt and turned her head to look at the marker. She raised her arms up and around his torso, pulling him closer to her.

He really could surprise you when you least expected. For the first time in four days she didn't cry. Instead, she smiled. And it was all because of him.

And though she didn't know it then, she'd later realize this was when she began to love him.


End file.
